Why Your Dog Barks Excessively Part 1

You can’t understand it. You fed your dog, you walked him, you even played a game of fetch with him. So why on earth is he just barking, non-stop? What could he possibly want or need? You think to yourself, “I must have gotten a problem dog. He was just born like this, he doesn’t know how to behave properly and only bark when something’s wrong.” That reasoning sounds right, but it’s far from true. In fact, a dog’s behavioral complex isn’t all that complicated. It is molded by you as the owner. The way you raise your pet is what shapes how he or she will act. So, the excessive barking is actually the result of the owner’s behavior. And it’s something you want to change.

First of all, that barking is enough to drive you crazy, and it could even develop a rift between you and man’s best friend. You might begin to resent your dog if his barking keeps you up all night, which could lead to poor performance on the job – a whole chain reaction could begin. Your neighbors could really start to hate having you live in the area, and could end up calling the local police to complain about the noise. The barking could lead to a whole slew of problems.

Before you spend thousands on a “pet therapist,” understand that the reasoning could be quite simple, as simple as your dog being lonely. There’s no need to feel guilty about your “behavior,” or basically having the life you need to have: work, obligations. When it comes down to it, there will always be things that take you away from home and your dog everyday.

However, you just have to remember dogs need attention and companionship. They also need to be entertained. When you go to work or are gone from home for any period of time, your dog feels lonely and bored. So he will make up little games or little habits to pass the time. Now you have a combination of a dog calling out for attention, and a habit he’s picked up to entertain himself: barking. He figures if he barks long enough, he’ll get some type of attention, and he might not realize when that attention isn’t good. The trick, in this case, is simple: more attention. Your dog may bark while you’re away, but when you’re home, discourage that behavior by giving him plenty of love and attention. Don’t shoo him away, give him a nice chunk of playtime with you. Though he’ll still get lonely when you’re gone, he may develop a greater sense of fulfillment and that feeling of being loved.